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mit ihm ist nicht gut Kirschen essen

English translation: It\'s no picknick with him / you don\'t want to mess with him

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:mit ihm ist nicht gut Kirschen essen
English translation:It\'s no picknick with him / you don\'t want to mess with him
Entered by: Cilian O'Tuama

22:24 Aug 2, 2010
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / Modern slang
German term or phrase: mit ihm ist nicht gut Kirschen essen
Hi All,

No context as such. It's just a common expression which surely must have an equally flowery English equivalent. Oder?

I realise it can depend on who says it and who it's referring to. So let's restrict it to a peer-to-peer situation.

The standard translations are boring, e.g.:
- he's a tough customer/cookie.
- it's best not to tangle with him.
- he's not an easy person to deal with.

Any bright ideas?

Ciao,
Cilian
Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Local time: 06:26
It's no picknick with him
Explanation:
Hello,

Perhaps this might work.

I hope this helps.
Selected response from:

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 00:26
Grading comment
This one was the most suitable on this occasion. Thanks all round.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4he's not one to mess with
Thayenga
3 +1It's no picknick with him
MatthewLaSon
3 +1Dealing with him is like
Kim Metzger
3he's a hardass
NGK
3he/she'll eat (chew) you up and spit you out
Bernhard Sulzer
Summary of reference entries provided
the dark middle ages...
Johanna Timm, PhD

Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
It's no picknick with him


Explanation:
Hello,

Perhaps this might work.

I hope this helps.

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 00:26
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
This one was the most suitable on this occasion. Thanks all round.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you, M, I like the picnic idea, similar imagery.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Lancashireman: Could be down to 'inadequate provisioning': http://www.proz.com/kudoz/german_to_english/business_commerc...
10 mins
  -> Thank you. The idea is that you're not going to have a good time with him.
agree  Andreas Hild: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mystory/stories/family-and-friends/1735...
11 hrs
  -> Thank you, andyhd! Have a nice evening.
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
he's a hardass


Explanation:
Seeing as you've already ruled out the more standard translations, this seems like a nice equivalent ... with the qualification that it's not the same register as the source, and I'm not sure whether it would be used outside of North America (hardarse???).

Webster defines a hard-ass as "a tough, demanding, or uncompromising person."


    Reference: http://east.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/hard-ass
    Reference: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hardass
NGK
United States
Local time: 23:26
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 40
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks N, Is there a nicer way of putting it? :-)


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Lancashireman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUKOebCbINc
7 hrs
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
he's not one to mess with


Explanation:
Another option

Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 06:26
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks T, again "don't mess" (as Bernhard also suggested) conveys the meaning, but the positive - almost romantic - image of "eating cherries" or similar ain't there.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rolf Keiser: and a good one, Elke
55 mins
  -> Thank you kindly, Rolf. :)
agree  Robert Feuerlein
5 hrs
  -> Thank you, Robert.
agree  Melanie Meyer
8 hrs
  -> Thank you, Melanie.
agree  British Diana: YEs! It conveys the fact that one must be wary of this person
8 hrs
  -> Thank you, Diana.
neutral  Bernhard Sulzer: I guess you did not see my previous suggestion? / Kein Problem. Danke. :)
12 hrs
  -> In fact, I didn't.
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39 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Dealing with him is like


Explanation:
being in a ring with a pit bull/drunken Irishman/Dirty Harry

putting a chihuahua in a ring with a pit bull



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2010-08-03 02:04:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The guy you don't want to cross.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day0 min (2010-08-03 22:25:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

He's no pushover/walkover/Milquetoast

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 22:26
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 156
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Kim. Seems a bit harsh? Maybe the meaning is similar, but the language isn't. Am looking for a softer expression.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Robert Feuerlein: We could quote Dirty Harry : "Make my day, Punk..."
13 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
he/she'll eat (chew) you up and spit you out


Explanation:
To me, the first meaning is that somebody is very difficult to get along with and that

" he/she could have/has it in for you/anybody",

meaning there would be negative consequences. There seems to be also a bit of a mean competitiveness in that behavior or of bad behavior caused by a position of power, but not necessarily so. He/she could just be a mean person because that's how they are, from their bully beginnings in childhood to their adult abrasiveness.

don't mess with him/her (he/she'll eat (chew) you up and spit you out)

he/she's not going to kiss you on the cheek /extend their hand for a friendly welcome
Nice is something else / is a foreign concept to him (her)
don't expect any favors from him/her



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day3 hrs (2010-08-04 02:02:31 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Thanks for your feedback.
My wife and I were thinking a bit farther and came up with a few that go from soft to cute to somewhat silly:

you won't be able to butter him /her up / he won't let himself be buttered up by you
he's not going to tiptoe through the tulips with you
he (she's) a prickly pear
he won't blow raspberries with you



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day8 hrs (2010-08-04 06:42:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/mit_dem_ist_nicht_gut_Kirschen...
explains it as originally
1) spitting pits at people: being a defensive action by rich folks against less fortunate ones that got too friendly with them, trying to get something out of/from them / some of the great and expensive things to eat (those expensive cherries o~) / trying to get in on some business deal or being accepted by them etc.

I believe the "buttering up/schmoozing" version would fit this definition.

or
2) derived from a bishop who served up some poisoned cherries for a margrave -

so, here are a few more ideas, for each definition, keeping in mind for definition 1) that something (a nice action in the soft sense) is turned into the opposite.

1) this isn't (is certainly not ) going to be a love fest (dealing with him...)
it's not going to be all hugs and kisses
It's not going to be all peaches and cream
remember, you weren't (really) invited to their/his/her garden party


2) beware of the fruit you eat / you are being served / they serve you
they won't serve you up anything nice / easily digestible

http://blog.simplejustice.us/2010/03/29/honest-broker-or-loo...
peaches and cream

http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com/2010/07/obama-meets-neta...
no love fest

Bernhard Sulzer
United States
Local time: 00:26
Works in field
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 36
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks, B, but I'm looking for a soft way of saying the same, if you know what I mean.

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Reference comments


56 mins peer agreement (net): +3
Reference: the dark middle ages...

Reference information:
Die Redensart "Mit ihm ist nicht gut Kirschen essen" bedeutet "Mit ihm ist nicht gut auszukommen". Nicht immer bezieht sich die Redewendung heute auf Personen, auch mit einer Krankheit kann nicht gut Kirschen essen sein.

Im Mittelalter war der Personenbezug allerdings eindeutig. In ihrer ursprünglichen Form lautet die Redensart: Mit hohen Herren ist nicht gut Kirschen essen, sie spucken (werfen) einem die Kerne (Stiele) ins Gesicht. Kirschen waren damals noch nicht so weit verbreitet und wurden lediglich in den Gärten der Klöster und der Reichen angebaut. Mit dem Ausdruck wollte man von allzu freundschaftlichem Umgang mit den hohen Herren abraten, da diese in ihrem Übermut den weniger gut Gestellten oft Schaden zufügten.
http://www.ceryx.de/sprache/wd_kirschen_essen.htm

Johanna Timm, PhD
Canada
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 90
Note to reference poster
Asker: Thanks Jo, ye learn something new every day (I'm very glad to say).


Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  writeaway: interesting reading. thanks Johanna. /like in the film the Witches of Eastwick?? ;-)
13 mins
  -> you're welcome. Just had some cherries and spit the pits all over the place. So there:-)// hehe ...totally:-)))
agree  Jenny Streitparth: Thank you. @ Cilian: citing this may impress your friend!
3 hrs
  -> :-)
neutral  Lonnie Legg: Thx for the interesting bg.
9 hrs
agree  Clive Phillips: Thank you, Johanna. At end of WWII my uncle as a British military truck driver allegedly ate cherries in one of the boxes at La Scala (Milan) during a performance, spitting the stones onto the bald pates and décolletés of the Italian upper crust below.
9 hrs
  -> what a great story:-)
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